Today’s the day, the big one—the Fourth of July cookout,
your BFF’s pool party, your first date with the hot guy at the beach. You are
all decked out, you’ve been psyched for weeks, when, wouldn’t you know it,
disaster strikes. Here’s how to deal when pretty much the most embarrassing
body-related bombshell threatens to ruin your Big Night Out.

Aunt Flo along for
the ride

It’s like your period is just waiting for you to pull on
those white shorts, right? Well, however true it feels, that doesn’t mean
getting your period when you’re lookin’ white hot has to ruin your day. When
you wake up in the a.m., close your eyes and think about how you’re feeling.
Are you sore? More tired than you should be? Crampy? More moody and reactive to
trivial things? Craving junk food? These are all signs that your period is on
your way. Be prepared: Toss a panty liner, a tampon and a Tide To Go pen in
your purse. If you’re super anxious, slide a liner in your undies and make pit
stops every few hours to assess the situation.

What’s white ‘n’ red
‘n’ blushin’ all over?

Three guesses and the first two don’t count: That’d be you
with your period. Sigh. This one falls under the header of stuff happens.
Instead of freaking out or worrying that you’ve totally ruined everything,
focus on fixing yourself up and recovering. If you’re at someone’s house, find
a girl or woman who lives there and can help, tell her the sitch and go get
cleaned up. If you need fresh undies, borrow a pair. Swap your bottoms or take
‘em off in the bathroom and clean ‘em up with a little soap and hot water (not
cold!) or a Tide pen. No assistance? Get through the night by stuffing your
undies with toilet paper, tissues or paper towels (or that panty liner you’ve
stashed in your bag…). Deep breath. Everything’s OK.

Ugh, no, not B.O.!

You swear you put on deodorant this morning, but for how
ripe you smell come 3 p.m., it doesn’t seem to make a different. If you know
you’ve got B.O. issues, toss a mini deodorant stick (like a travel-sized one
from a drugstore) in your purse, backpack or practice bag. Out of Speedstick?
Hit the bathroom every so often and wipe your pits with a wet paper towel. And
in the meantime, pretend you can’t smell a thing and focus on having fun.

Hello, 911? It’s a
shave-mergency

You’re hanging with your buds when everyone decides they
wanna go swimming. But you? Um. You haven’t shaved in a week. Hello, hairy
legs!Roll your eyes, borrow a suit and
a make a joke out of how long it’s been since you picked up a razor. Trust us,
everyone’s done it and no one, least of all your friends, really care what your
legs look like. Don’t be tempted to do a quick dry shave; you’ll end up with a
bunch of itchy stubble that’ll be way more noticeable than your prickly
patches. And if it really, really bothers you, be the first to dive in and the
last to get out. No one will be starin’ while you’re starting a splash war.

Got the third degree

Burn, that is. You’re roasted, right before Cousin Stacey’s
wedding. Bridesmaid’s dress with your tan lines? Eek! Unfortunately, there’s
not a whole lot you can do ‘til your sunburn peels and fades, but you can help it along. Keep your skin
healthy and happy by moisturizing often and using after-sun lotion or aloe.
Slather on the sunscreen when you do
go outside, and exfoliate with a loofa or scrub in the shower to get rid of
peeling skin cells. Feel free to experiment with concealer or bronzer, but if
you’re using it on your bod, take care to set it with powder before you start
hugging the bride.